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People talk funny. (Me included, har.)
No, I mean it's really weird once you get right down to it -- language tics that are generalized to certain parts of wherever. The whole infamous coke/soda/pop debate (WHICH IS IT?!) that still occasionally flares up between my friends is just. Really funny, actually, because to me, "pop" just sounds really weird even after four years in Seattle and I can still boggle people by asking for a "coke" and then specifying no, I actually wanted that root beer.
But I always get this feeling, when I'm reading things either IN Japanese or fan-translated from Japanese, that there's this certain particular "flavor" to the language that is, as far as I know, unique to Japanese. Granted, I don't actually have enough fluency in any other language to really get a feel for like, how a Spanish story might sound when translated, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was something like that. (I was discussing it with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rivendellrose last night, who mentioned she gets that with French a lot.) It's certain small differences in how things get said that ... don't change the overall meaning, but sort of give the language used character. (I think.)
And a lot of translated manga, I know, undergoes some degree of "localization" during the editing process -- something that takes that vaguely almost-stilted way the language was in the raw translation and making it ... more palatable? more "comfortable" to read? for the target audiences. I know it happens with some of Tokyopop's stuff (i.e., the two series they've done that I like and I've had access to the translated volumes for, GetBackers and Saiyuuki) and I'm not particularly sure I like it.
(I mean, I have to question a practice that tries to make Akabane sound like some sort of Mafia knockoff in translation. Couldn't they have picked, I dunno, Hannibal Lector as a localization point instead?)
I mean, I know a lot still gets lost in translation regardless of how "well" or how "raw" the translation is, and even if you were to take a manga's script and translate it exactly as it's laid out, there'd still be some awkwardness in the transition because of how differently the actual languages are structured. (I mean, okay, what triggered this was when I was reviewing tactics v1 for translational purposes, and there's a scene where Kantarou says, literally, "By you, Chizuru-san won't be killed," which would be more graceful as "Chizuru-san won't be killed by you" and is likely "localized" as "you won't kill Chizuru-san." And no the meanings don't change, and yeah the last one sounds more natural to the English-reading audience, but ... it's like something in the text was taken away -- and it's replaced, certainly, but I think I find the second more. Hm. "charming?")
People really talk funny.
This brought to you by the long and convulted process by which I do any translations. Thank you, take the ticket and please drive through.
No, I mean it's really weird once you get right down to it -- language tics that are generalized to certain parts of wherever. The whole infamous coke/soda/pop debate (WHICH IS IT?!) that still occasionally flares up between my friends is just. Really funny, actually, because to me, "pop" just sounds really weird even after four years in Seattle and I can still boggle people by asking for a "coke" and then specifying no, I actually wanted that root beer.
But I always get this feeling, when I'm reading things either IN Japanese or fan-translated from Japanese, that there's this certain particular "flavor" to the language that is, as far as I know, unique to Japanese. Granted, I don't actually have enough fluency in any other language to really get a feel for like, how a Spanish story might sound when translated, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was something like that. (I was discussing it with
rivendellrose last night, who mentioned she gets that with French a lot.) It's certain small differences in how things get said that ... don't change the overall meaning, but sort of give the language used character. (I think.)And a lot of translated manga, I know, undergoes some degree of "localization" during the editing process -- something that takes that vaguely almost-stilted way the language was in the raw translation and making it ... more palatable? more "comfortable" to read? for the target audiences. I know it happens with some of Tokyopop's stuff (i.e., the two series they've done that I like and I've had access to the translated volumes for, GetBackers and Saiyuuki) and I'm not particularly sure I like it.
(I mean, I have to question a practice that tries to make Akabane sound like some sort of Mafia knockoff in translation. Couldn't they have picked, I dunno, Hannibal Lector as a localization point instead?)
I mean, I know a lot still gets lost in translation regardless of how "well" or how "raw" the translation is, and even if you were to take a manga's script and translate it exactly as it's laid out, there'd still be some awkwardness in the transition because of how differently the actual languages are structured. (I mean, okay, what triggered this was when I was reviewing tactics v1 for translational purposes, and there's a scene where Kantarou says, literally, "By you, Chizuru-san won't be killed," which would be more graceful as "Chizuru-san won't be killed by you" and is likely "localized" as "you won't kill Chizuru-san." And no the meanings don't change, and yeah the last one sounds more natural to the English-reading audience, but ... it's like something in the text was taken away -- and it's replaced, certainly, but I think I find the second more. Hm. "charming?")
People really talk funny.
This brought to you by the long and convulted process by which I do any translations. Thank you, take the ticket and please drive through.
